


aşk-ı derun

by penaltygame



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, One Shot, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-07 09:29:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17363444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/penaltygame/pseuds/penaltygame
Summary: The Spirit of the Ring has lost many competitions before, but a competition for his boyfriend’s attention against some silly television drama isn’t going to be one of them if he has anything to say about it. Post-canon Thiefshipping, manga-based.





	aşk-ı derun

**Author's Note:**

> This was written by me a while back after several conversations with [vylons](http://vylons.tumblr.com) about Malik's taste in entertainment and how drastically different it is from Bakura's. It's only now being posted after another, more recent conversation about what we wanted to do with all of our AU ideas, which inspired me to try dipping my toes back in the fanfiction waters for the first time in like... a decade, probably? Needless to say, any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> By the way, Magnificent Century is an actual Turkish drama that was extremely popular in the Middle East while it was still airing. Because of that, we thought it might be something that Malik could feasibly be interested in. (Bakura, much less so, with the slight exception of the political rivalries between some of the characters.) If you want to check it out for yourself, it's currently available on Netflix. The story is loosely based on the life of the historical figure Hürrem Sultan (better known in the West as Roxelana), an enslaved woman from what is today Ukraine and chronicles her rise to power in the Ottoman court.
> 
> The show's official subtitle, Aşk-ı derun, roughly translates to "deepest love", which is where this story's title comes from. It's also the name of a [really lovely waltz](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XwHTQtt7kE) on the show's excellent soundtrack :)

"Do you mind?" Malik pulls a fork from his mouth, swallowing a mouthful of koshari. "I like looking at you, habibi, but right now, I'm a little more interested in looking at what's on that screen behind you." Malik sets the fork down on the coffee table in front of him and sneers at Bakura, who’s just thrown himself between the table and the television set, and at the most inconvenient possible time, too. 

In fact, it’s almost reminiscent of their very first meeting, when Bakura had stood in the way of Malik’s path to Yugi’s friends at the Domino City Aquarium. 

Some things never change, Malik supposes.  

"Now I would suggest that you move... before I  _ make  _ you move."

"No, I don't think I will." Bakura sits on the edge of their entertainment center. "Hear me out -"

Malik looks Bakura up and down, his frown growing more apparent by the second. "No, I don't think I will. In fact," he rises from his heap on the couch, "I believe I told you to move." His eyes drift towards a clock on one of the walls. "Fortunately for you, I can afford to be a little generous today since I still have five minutes until my drama is on, so I'll give you one more chance to do as I say and  _ move _ ."

"You're obsessed." Bakura is rolling his eyes as he slides from the edge of the entertainment center, stopping his body's movements at the edge of the table between them. "I would have thought you would have moved on now that you have a romance like that of your very own."

Malik shrugs. "I don't see why those things have to be mutually exclusive. I can have 'a romance like that of my very own' and still enjoy Hürrem and Süleyman’s at the same time, you know... unlike you, I'm perfectly capable of multitasking."

Bakura leans on his elbow, gazing up into Malik's eyes, his head still blocking Malik's view of the screen. "I wouldn't be too sure about that if I were you. You can't exactly watch a drama and go out to the bistro theater with me at the same time, you know."

"No," Malik smirks. "But you can stay here and watch said drama with me instead of going to the movies."

"What?! Don't be ridiculous. You know I don't like shows like that. Besides," Bakura says, whipping a sheet of paper from behind him and waving it in Malik's face, "I already bought us the tickets."

"That's too bad." Malik shoves Bakura's hand out to the side, craning his neck to see the television. "You really should have cleared your plans with me before you went and dropped Ra knows how much of our date money on those. Or did you really think that my being in a relationship with you means that I should available at your beck and call every time you snap your fingers?” His eyes narrow. “Besides, you know that I watch new  _ Magnificent Century  _ episodes every Thursday. This shouldn't be new to you by now, Bakura. Not after all the time we’ve been together."

Bakura goes quiet for a moment.

"On the contrary, it is. It’s your hobby, not mine. And yeah... I actually kind of did." 

Bakura leans back, at last returning some of Malik's personal space that he had stolen. "Or at least, I thought you would be invested enough in this relationship to be. Do you even remember when the last time we went out together was? Because I sure don't. And to be honest, I've kind of missed it... but I guess between the two of us, I'm the only one that feels that way."

Malik folds his arms. "It's just one night, Bakura. Unless the world is ending tomorrow - and you, being a former Dark God and all that, would probably be the first to know - there will be others." 

"Right back at you, Malik," Bakura scoffs, turning his head away from Malik. " _It's just one night _ . Anyway, doesn't the studio have a YouTube channel that they upload all of their content to eventually? You can always watch your new episode there when we’re back."

Malik is pouting now. He hates when his boyfriend actually has a point. "The Internet will have spoiled it by the time I’m awake again, Bakura. Besides, the offer of a romantic night in with me doesn't go away just because the studio has a YouTube channel. Whether or not you decide to take me up on it is all up to you. However… whatever you decide, just remember that it's a lot harder to make out in a theater than it is right here in the comfort of our own home."

Malik smirks triumphantly at Bakura, certain that he’s got Bakura cornered now, and Bakura shifts his gaze back to Malik, cocking an eyebrow before giving Malik a smirk of his own. “Isn’t that part of the thrill, though? The challenge of kissing your partner in a place where kissing would normally be unwelcome?”

“For some of us, yes.” Malik steps around the table, bringing himself into Bakura’s personal space this time. He stops just in front of Bakura, looking into his eyes longingly, smirking. “For others, however… well, let’s just say that we like the freedom to make out with our partners with no holds barred.”

Chuckling softly, Bakura places his thumb on Malik’s chin. “And here I would have thought that you of all people would have jumped at yet another opportunity to break the rules.”

He pulls their faces together until he can feel Malik’s warm breath on his lips the next time Malik speaks.

“Normally, yes. However, my boyfriend… and the sorts of things I’d like to do to him… are things that should probably be kept for my viewing pleasure only.” 

Malik’s lips are inches away from Bakura’s.

“Oh? Are both of those things really so scandalous, Malik?”

Bakura’s lips brush against Malik’s with every syllable, and his voice is growing softer, huskier. He wonders how much longer he’ll be able to hold his ground against Malik’s teasing.

“If you want to know so badly, then why don’t you just go in for the kill already and find out for yourself?” Malik prompts. 

“Go in for the kill?” Bakura is chuckling again, this time more heartily than before. Good. He has some time before he gives in to Malik completely. “Seriously?  _ That’s _ your idea of a pickup line?”

Malik’s lips purse.

‘ _Damn it _ ,’ Bakura hisses internally. He can resist that pickup line, but he can never seem to rise above that cursed pout. He wishes he could determine what it was about it that was so enticing. He could have a better chance at fighting its hold over him. In the meantime, however, he just had to pray that Malik never found out. Otherwise, Bakura would be at his mercy.

“Is there something wrong with it? I thought you liked killing, Bakura. Besides, it’s only a figure of speech.”

“I do… or at least, I did. I’m not really sure anymore. However,” Bakura says thoughtfully, stroking Malik’s chin instead of his own, “even then, your metaphors are a turn-off, Malik. They’re too... tryhard." 

Malik scowls, pulling his face away from Bakura’s. "Please. As if  _ you're _ one to talk about  _ anything  _ being tryhard."

"And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Bakura asks, returning Malik’s scowl in kind - a stark contrast to the bewilderment in his voice, which rises steadily in pitch with each syllable more. He would have thought that Malik would have learned by now that questioning a former dark god was an unwise course of action that usually ended poorly for the mortal who was foolish enough to try. Had Bakura upset Malik because he had told Malik an answer other than the one Malik had wanted to hear? Bakura grits his teeth. If Malik was just looking for someone to coddle him, then he should have gone to Rishid or Isis, not his boyfriend. 

"I think you know perfectly well what that's supposed to mean,” Malik retorts with a grin.

Bakura waves a dismissive hand. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Malik, but the last time I checked, I'm not the one who was associated with a certain mind-reading Millennium Item.”

Malik shrugs again. "Could have fooled me. But then again, you're probably right. Either way, however, you still haven’t kissed me, and you shouldn’t need to read my mind to do  _ that _ … because I told you to.”

A smirk plays on Bakura’s lips, and he tilts his head. "That’s because you did not, in fact, tell me to kiss you."

"What? I did so!" Malik huffs, balling his right hand into a fist.

Bakura tuts, wagging a finger in Malik’s face that’s promptly pushed away by Malik’s balled hand. He’s still smirking. "On the contrary, Malik, you told me to ‘go in for the kill, not to kiss you.”

Malik scowls again, folding his arms and turning his body away from Bakura altogether. "It was basically the same thing. Stop being obtuse."

"No, it wasn't,” Bakura rebuffs. “Now ask me again without the metaphor.”

"No."

Bakura clicks his tongue, feigning sympathy. "Then you won't be getting what you want."

"But Bakura,” Malik whines.

"Yeah?" Bakura asks.

"I thought you wanted this,” Malik reminds his boyfriend, suddenly turning back around to bridge the gap between himself and Bakura by wrapping his arms around Bakura’s waist as if to illustrate his point, making Bakura gasp in surprise. “Besides, doesn't that means you won't be getting what you want either?"

"It does, and I do,” Bakura presses his body closer to Malik’s, ignoring that the gesture is suggesting something very different from what the words that come next are implying, “but not if you're going to be like that."

"Like  _ what _ ?!" Malik demands, trying to squirm his arms out of Bakura’s grip.

"Let’s see. Disagreeable," Bakura contemplates, gently stroking one of Malik’s arms with his thumb as he goes. "Childish. Pouty... any one of those words could be used to describe what you’re being like right now, and every single one of them is annoying. Too bad… I really was…”

Bakura leans forward until his lips are brushing against Malik’s again, his tongue flicking out to savor their taste as they lock together. “...looking forward to kissing you,” Bakura finishes, pulling away only as much as he needs to gasp for air, but otherwise staying just close enough to give his boyfriend the opportunity to return the favor. Of course, with the way he had just insulted Malik, Bakura knows better than to expect Malik’s feelings to overcome this adversity and grant his wishes. Nevertheless, he lets himself hope for reciprocation anyway. He and Malik have a unique relationship, after all; what turned other people off often seems to turn the two of them on, and that included insults.

"I thought you said you weren't going to give me what I wanted if I was acting like that.” Malik’s lips are curled upside down in a frown again, though whether the gesture is because their own attempts to fight Bakura’s kisses with more kisses was brought to an end or because Bakura had tricked Malik is lost on Bakura, who is still eyeing them longingly.

“I wasn’t,” Bakura confirms, licking his lips. “But in the end, I couldn’t resist my weakness after all… or hide it from you, for that matter. Just like you couldn’t deny that you’re disagreeable… childish…” Bakura steals a few more kisses before continuing, tired of waiting for Malik to fulfill his desires himself, “...and pouty.”

"What?!” Malik huffs, yanking his arms out of Bakura’s gasp and trying to push Bakura away with all his might, but to no avail. “I did so!”

"I don't recall you denying it,” Bakura teases.

“Well, I am  _ now _ ,” Malik insists, refusing to meet Bakura’s gaze. If he lets Bakura see just how much his antics have unraveled him, then he would only encourage him to pursue them more often in the future, and Malik has an image to uphold even within the privacy of his own home. Give someone an inch and they’ll take a mile, after all - especially if that someone happens to be Bakura.

“I think you’ve long since missed the cutoff for takebacks, Malik,” Bakura argues, pinching Malik’s cheeks now that his hands are finally free.

“Anyway,” Malik swats Bakura’s hand away, "are we done wasting time on this?"

Bakura is the one frowning and folding his arms this time. "Kissing me is a waste of time?” Bakura grumbles.  “Could’ve fooled  _ me _ .”

"No, you idiot,” Malik snaps, at last meeting Bakura’s gaze (and ignoring that triumphant smirk that came with it.) “I was talking about the argument that started all this. You know, the movie that you bought tickets without asking me whether I would actually be up for a movie tonight… though it’s probably pointless to bring it up now, seeing as how we've probably already missed it anyway.”

Bakura sucks his teeth in annoyance. “Yeah, well, we’ve probably missed the first fifteen minutes of Magnificent Century, too.”

"What?!” Malik’s jaw drops in indignation as he wheels around and races towards the television, and, with both his hands on his head, he yells in frustration as he tries to process just how much of the story he’s missed. “Bakura! You did that on purpose!”

Bakura absentmindedly inspects his fingernails, almost as though he’s more concerned about what damage they might have taken when Malik had swatted his hand away than what Malik might have missed during the first few minutes of his favorite television show. 

“What do you know, Malik? It looks like those spoilers are going to come in handy after all."


End file.
